Give it Up!, the new pop musical from Douglas Carter Beane (Xanadu - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical; Tony Award nomination for Best Book of Musical, The Little Dog Laughed - Tony Award nomination for Best Play), with music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn, is currently playing the Dallas Theatre Center through February 14, 2010. After making its world premiere to raves in Dallas on January 22, production footage has been released! The musical reportedly has Broadway aspirations for the near future.
Directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges, Give It Up! gives a 2421-year-old classic new bounce. Based on Aristophanes' ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, in which a group of women refuse to havesexual relations with their husbands until they end the Peloponnesian War, Beane and Flinn bring the classic tale of the battle of the sexes to a contemporary American college (Athens University) where Lysistrata Jones (Patti Murin) is the head cheerleader at a school where the basketball team is content to lose every game.
Determined to inspire them to become winners and care for something more than themselves, the ladies decide to hold out on "giving it up" until their team breaks the 30-year losing curse by winning a game.
Says DTC Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty: "Douglas Carter Beane has created a script which is hilariously funny and joyfully embracing, Lewis Flinn has written a score filled with high energy, contemporary pop music and witty lyrics, and Dan Knechtges' fast paced direction and lively choreography bring this exuberant world premiere musical to life."
Beane's additional work includes As Bees in Honey Drown, and the screenplay To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. "I want theatergoers to have a good time and I want them to leave with something fresh," said Beane. "Give It Up! poses the question, ‘If you take away sexual attraction from a relationship, would you really fall in love with that person? Who would you fall in love with?' Ultimately it's about being who you truly are, learning to love who you truly are, and not having to pretend to be something other than that."
Bringing Give It Up! to life on the Wyly Theatre stage at the Dallas Theatre Center are Katie Boren (The 25 th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee); Xavier Cano (Grease); Lindsay Nicole Chambers (Legally Blonde The Musical; Hairspray); Noemi Del Rio (In the Heights); Carla Duren (110 in the Shade; Hairspray); Curtis Holbrook (Xanadu; West Side Story); Justin Keyes (The Apple Tree); Telly Leung (Rent); Patti Murin (Xanadu) as Lysistrata Jones; Andrew Rannells (Hairspray; Jersey Boys); Preston Sadleir; and DTC Acting Company Member Liz Mikel (Friday Night Lights) as Hetairai. The acclaimed design team includes set design by Beowulf Boritt (The 25 th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Rock of Ages, DTC's A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Who's Tommy); costume design by David C. Woolard (West Side Story; 33 Variations); lighting design by Ben Stanton; and sound designby Tony Meola (Wicked; Pal Joey). Christopher Jahnke (Memphis) musical supervises with music direction by Elaine Davidson.
All performances of Give It Up! are held at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located at 2400 Flora St., where it runs through February 14. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; and select Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Single ticket prices are $15-$85 and are available by calling the box office at 214.880.0202 or by visiting www.dallastheatercenter.org.
